Higher Education  

California’s system of state colleges and universities is the largest in the USA. The main campus of the University of California is at Berkeley, and there are branches at Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles (UCLA), Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, and Santa Cruz. The campuses of the California State University system are Bakersfield; California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo; California State Polytechnic University, Pomona; Chico; Dominguez Hills; Fresno; Fullerton; Hayward; Long Beach; Los Angeles; Monterey Bay; Northridge; Sacramento; San Bernardino; San Marcos; Stanislaus; Humboldt State University; San Diego State University; San Francisco State University; San Jose State University; and Sonoma State University.

The private colleges and universities in California include many notable institutions. Among them are the University of Southern California (USC), in Los Angeles; the California Institute of Technology, in Pasadena; Mills College, in Oakland; Pepperdine University, in Malibu; the University of San Francisco; the University of Santa Clara; Whittier College; the University of San Diego; Stanford University; and Pomona, Claremont Graduate School, Scripps, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Harvey Mudd at Claremont.

Altogether, California has more than 100 accredited colleges and universities and approximately 120 community colleges.

Geography

Slightly larger than Japan, California extends over 411,013 square kilometers. California possesses diverse geographical features, including mountains, valleys, deserts, forests, rivers, lakes, and a Pacific coastline 1,352 kilometers in length. Both the highest and lowest points in the continental United States are within California’s borders: Mount Whitney rises to 4,418 meters above sea level, while a portion of Death Valley is 86 meters below sea level. Two mountain ranges run north and south through the state: the Coast Ranges in the west, and the Sierra Nevadas in the east. Between the Coast Ranges and the Sierra Nevadas lies the Central Valley, which stretches 692 kilometers north to south and averages 80 miles east to west. Running through the Central Valley are the state’s largest rivers systems, the Sacramento and the San Joaquin. Lake Tahoe is the largest lake in California and one of the deepest in the world. The Santa Barbara Islands and the Farralon Islands are island groups belonging to California’s territory. Among California’s major cities are Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Long Beach, Oakland, and Sacramento (capital). With around 30 million people, California is America’s most populous state.

Climate

Throughout most of California there are essentially only two seasons, the dry season and the wet season. Annual precipitation in the state varies from an average low of 5 cm in Imperial Valley to an average high of 173 cm at Crescent City. Heavy fog is common along the coast during the summer months and tropical rainstorms are typical during the winter months. Los Angeles has an average of 38 cm of precipitation annually, while San Francisco averages 54 cm.

Temperatures vary throughout the state. The annual average temperature in Los Angeles is 18.3° C, whereas San Francisco’s average temperature is 13.9° C. Away from the coast, mountainous areas have milder summers but colder winters; the Central Valley experiences hot summers with cool winters; and the Imperial Valley has very hot and dry summers.

Cultural Profile

California’s rich cultural heritage reflects the diversity of its citizens. San Francisco’s M.H. de Young Memorial Museum exhibits paintings by European and African artists, cultural artifacts created by early native Americans, and, in the Asian Art Museum located in the west wing, many fine works of oriental art. Other noted museums in San Francisco are located in the California Academy of Sciences and the California Place of the Legion of Honor. Well-known museums in Los Angeles are the Norton Simon Museum, the Southwest Museum, the California Museum of Science and Industry, the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum, and the Museum of Afro-American History and Culture. The oldest public art museum in the West is the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento. San Diego has twenty-three museums, including the Timben Art Gallery, the Serra Museum, and the Reuben H. Fleet Space Theater and Science Center.

Among America’s most prestigious symphonic orchestras are the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the San Francisco Symphony orchestras. World-class opera companies are based in San Francisco and San Diego. Major ballet companies are in San Francisco, Oakland, and Los Angeles.

Recreation

California is famous around the world for its movie industry, amusement parks, zoos, beaches, and many other attractions. Almost every type of recreational activity can be found in California, including boating, fishing, hang gliding, surfing, mountain climbing, backpacking, and skiing. National and state recreational areas occupy more than one-fourth of California’s land area. The state has five national parks, twenty-two national forests, and twenty-two natural wildlife refuges. California’s park system operates nearly two hundred parks, reserves, historic sites, and beaches. Some of the famous historic sites and landmarks in the state are Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay; the Cabrillo National Monument near San Diego; Hearst Castle near San Luis Obispo; La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles; and the Muir Woods National Monument north of San Francisco.

Some other interesting places to visit in California are Big Sur, the Redwood Highway (US 101), Disneyland, Hollywood, Knott’s Berry Farm, Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, and San Francisco’s Chinatown.

Interesting Facts

In the early 19th century, Russia occupied parts of California. The element Californium was named for the state of California. Famous Californians include Richard Nixon (37th president of the US), Marilyn Monroe (actress), Clint Eastwood, Jr. (actor/director), March Kong Fong Eu (California secretary of state), Sally Ride (astronaut), John Steinbeck (novelist), Linus Carl Pauling (chemist), and Earl Warren (chief justice of the US Supreme Court).

 

General Information State Bird: California Valley Quail State Flower: Golden Poppy State Tree: California Redwood State Capitol: Sacramento Area: 411,013 sq. km Population: 29,760,000 Elevation: 4418m-86m Major Cities: Los Angeles / San Francisco Industry Information Agriculture Industry: Beef, Milk, Tomatoes, Cotton and Grapes Fishing Industry: Tuna, Anchovies and Salmon Mining Industry: Petroleum, Natural Gas, Sand and Gravel Manufacturing Industry: Chemicals, Instruments, Clothing, Petroleum and Coal Products Temperature Range Spring Temperature (range): 11C / 21C (Los Angeles) Summer Temperature (range): 17C / 28C (Los Angeles) Fall Temperature (range): 13C / 25C (Los Angeles) Winter Temperature (range): 7C / 18C (Los Angeles)